Volume 3: Book 15 - Chapter 2

Characters Present:

Natasha Rostova
Countess Natalya Rostova
Count Ilya Rostóv

Location: 

Yaroslávl


Petya has been killed. Natasha runs out to find her father weeping uncontrollably in the hall.  He insists that Natasha go to her mother.

Natasha stays with her mother, who is delirious with grief for three days, and on the evening of the third day, Natalya begins to weep for the first time. 

Volume 3: Book 15 - Chapter 1

Characters Present:

Natasha Rostova
Princess Mary Bolkónskaya 

Location: 

Yaroslávl'


Natasha and Princess Mary are both grieving over Andrew's death.  

Princess Mary emerges from it sooner, as she feels a great responsibility to her nephew, who has developed a cough from sleeping in a damp bedroom.  Mary speaks about returning to Moscow, and asks Natasha to go with her. Natasha refuses as she is not ready to leave and grieves for some time, but eventually realises that at least Prince Andrew is no longer in pain.  

The maid comes to get her from her bedroom as her father has terrible news regarding her youngest brother, Pétya.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 18

Characters Present:

Kutúzov

Location: 

Though the French retreat from Russia is attributed to clever strategies devised by Kutúzov, this is wrong.

The Russian army was heavily depleted due to the freezing winter, and the only thing that they did to facilitate victory was to keep the  French moving, through guerrilla warfare.

-END OF BOOK 14-

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 17

Characters Present:

Napoleon

Location: 

Napoleon leaves Russia and returns to France.  Tolstoy says that historians make the retreat sound heroic, but he implies that it is an act that a child would be told to be ashamed of.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 16

Characters Present:

Napoleon

Location: 

All over Russia


The French army - around seventy-three-thousand men - continue to flee from Moscow.  The winter is harsh, and many soldiers succumb to the cold, or die by roasting themselves too close to fires. 

Many make it to Smolensk, as a place of hope, but they kill each other over food and shelter, and men start to go their own ways.

Napoleon still issues and  receives orders, but there is no-one to carry them out.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 15

Characters Present:

Pierre Bezukhov

Location: 

From Vyázma to Dorogobúzh

Pierre dreams that he is told the nature of life by a former teacher in Switzerland. He is awoken by a French soldier asking him if he understands.

He lapses back into a dreamy thoughtfulness, and seems to understand that Karatáev is dead and his mind floats around for a while. 

The Russians come and attack, and he sobs as he is freed. 

Pétya Rostóv is buried in the morning.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 14

Characters Present:

Pierre Bezukhov
Karatáev

Location: 

From Vyázma to Dorogobúzh


There is some excitement in the French army, probably caused by the Russians who are about to attack them.

Karatáev, who is still unwell sits under a tree.  Pierre keeps moving, and then hears a gunshot, and then Karatáev's dog begins to howl.  Karatáev has been shot.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 13

Characters Present:

Pierre Bezukhov
Karatáev

Location: 

From Vyázma to Dorogobúzh


Karatáev tells Pierre a story about an old merchant who was framed for murder, then mutilated and then sent to Siberia for hard labour as punishment.

While in Siberia, the criminals share stories as to why they were there and the merchant says that he has sinned, but did not commit the murder.  The person who did commit the murder happens to be in the chain-gang, and writes his confession to free the old man, for he feels he has taken too many people's lives.  The Tsar frees the old merchant, but by the time the release comes, the merchant has already died. 

Karatáev remarks that only those who God has forgiven, and who do not want to die, get freedom from life in the end. 

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 12

Characters Present:

Pierre Bezukhov
Karatáev

Location: 

From Vyázma to Dorogobúzh


From Vyázma the French army consolidates to a single column, down from three.  At Dorogobúzh, some of Pierre's fellow prisoners escape, only to be recaptured and shot. 

The prisoners are down from more than three-hundred to less than a hundre due to poor conditions, starving, and being shot if they lagged behind.

Pierre philosophises that there is little difference between the unhappiness between someone sleeping on a bed of rose petals with a crumpled petal, and his own unhappiness at sleeping on a cold, hard ground.  

Karatáev gets the same fever that he had in Moscow, and it seems like he will die soon.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 11

Characters Present:

Fedor Ivanovich Dólokhov
Pétya Rostóv
Denísov
Pierre Bezukhov

Location: 

Shámshevo


Horses are selected and the band of soldiers ride in to attack the French.  

Pétya is very excited, but keeps missing out on actually killing anyone, so he rides into the thick of things.  His horse stops suddenly and Pétya falls off, arms and legs twitching, and a Cossack notices that he has been shot in the head. 

Dólokhov and Denísov see his body, and Denísov, is heartbroken.

Pierre Bezukhov is among the prisoners rescued. 

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 10

Characters Present:

Denísov
Pétya Rostóv
Likhachëv - a Cossack

Location: 

Shámshevo


Pétya returns to the guerrilla camp, and tells Denísov the events of the evening. Denísov tells him to go to sleep, but Pétya is too excited, and begins to ready himself for the battle in the morning. 

He takes his sword to a Likhachëv to have it sharpened (for the first time), and despite being in a fairly rough environment, feels as though he is in fairy-land. He falls asleep and has all sorts of lovely dreams.  When he awakens, his sword is sharp enough to cut a French in half, and it is dawn.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 9

Characters Present:

Fedor Ivanovich Dólokhov
Pétya Rostóv

Location: 

Shámshevo


Dólokhov swaggers into the French camp, crouches beside the fire and tells the French soldiers that he is trying to overtake his battalion.  He ignores questions such as "what battalion are you from" and continues to make conversation.  Dólokhov asks lots of questions regarding numbers and positions, and when their horses are returned, he stands up and leaves. 

Pétya, who had remained silent throughout the entire encounter, is overcome with Dólohov's heroism and kisses him. Dólokhov tells him to tell Denísov to wait for the signal at dawn.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 8

Characters Present:

Dólokhov
Denísov
Pétya Rostóv

Location: 

Shámshevo


Dólokhov arrives, and proposes that he and one other put on French uniforms and infiltrate the French camp.  Denísov says that it is a terrible idea, and they argue. 

Pétya volunteers to go with Dólokhov, and Denísov is additionally unhappy about this. Pétya tells Denísov not to hinder him, lest it make things worse.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 7

Characters Present:

Denísov
Pétya Rostóv
Tíkhon Shcherbáty
Vincent Bosse - the captured French drummer-boy

Location: 

Shámshevo


Pétya has been released by his general to Denísov on the condition that he doesn't take any action against the French, since disobeying an order in a previous battle.

It is dinner time, and Pétya offers Denísov and company some grapes; some flints; and other items.  It occurs to him that the French drummer may be hungry, and frightened, and thinks to ask Denísov if he can invite him in for food. Denísov agrees, and the French boy comes into the tent grateful, but hungry. 

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 6

Characters Present:

Denísov
Pétya Rostóv
Tíkhon Shcherbáty
A captured French drummer-boy

Location: 

Shámshevo


Tíkhon returns to Denísov, but empty handed.  He says that he captured a Frenchman a while ago, but he was useless, and didn't want to waste Denísov's time.  Tíkhon then describes another soldier that he tried to capture, and how he was thwarted by three other soldiers who chased after him with their "little swords".  

Petya wants to laugh, but doesn't as nobody else laughs.  He realises later that Tíkhon had actually murdered the first man, and feels bad for the drummer.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 5

Characters Present:

Denísov
Pétya Rostóv
Tíkhon Shcherbáty
A captured French drummer-boy

Location: 

Shámshevo


Denísov is hiding in the bushes looking at French troops with Pétya Rostóv.  The French drummer-boy who they have captured is confusedly naming French person of interest. 

Suddenly, Tíkhon, who they had sent to capture a "tongue" - that is, someone who will divulge information - runs by, being chased by the French.

It is revealed that Tíkhon, up until when he was shot, had an excellent record for capturing French soldiers.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 4

Characters Present:

Denísov
Esaul Lováyski the Third
Pétya Rostóv
A captured French drummer-boy

Location: 

Between Mikúlino and Shámshevo


Denísov is on the lookout for guerrilla bands on his way to Shámshevo, and is waiting for the return of the man that they sent to capture a Frenchman to interrogate for information.  He is also waiting for work from Dólokhov.  

Along the path, he runs into Pétya Rostóv, who is very pleased to see him.  Pétya asks to join with Denísov, who agrees.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 3

Characters Present:

Denísov
Dólokhov
Tíkhon Shcherbáty
Denís Davýdov

Location: 

Mikúlino and Shámshevo


The "Partisan War", which seems to refer to guerilla activity, began when the French reached Smolénsk. The power of this kind of warfare was first recognised by Davýdov and he is credited with normalising it. 

Denísov and Dólokhov have a plan that involves Denísov's Cossacks watching the French column on their way from from Mikúlino and Shámshevo.  They would then join forces with Dólokhov's men, and then attack the French at Shámshevo at dawn.

Denísov sends a man called Tíkhon Shcherbáty to capture a French quartermaster to press for information.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 2

Characters Present:

Location: 

Russia

Guerrilla warfare directly contravenes the accepted tactic of using a huge force to attack, and win.

The French army were dispirited, so clung together in a mass, whereas the Russian army were in good spirits, so took individual actions, and engaged in guerrilla warfare.

Volume 3: Book 14 - Chapter 1

Characters Present:

Napoleon

Location: 

Russia


Tolstoy discusses the Battle of Borodíno, and surmises that though it was the last large battle, and that it was won by the French, it did not win them the war.

All of the burning of towns, including Moscow was outside of the normal rules of war, and then the French army ceased to exist.

Volume 3: Book 13 - Chapter 19

Characters Present:

Kutúzov
Ermólov 
Milorádovich 
Plátov 

Location: 

Smolénsk road


The French are retreating not to France, as it is too far, but to Smolénsk, which is closer.

Kutúzov uses whatever little power he has to stop his army from attacking them, but Ermólov, Milorádovich, Plátov and others ignore him, and attempt to break up two French corps.

They are unsuccessful, and the French push on to Smolénsk.

-END OF BOOK 13-